Arrest of One of the Perpetrators of Armed Robbery in Golpayegan

Four days after a confrontation between 'three armed robbers' and Iranian law enforcement in the cities of Golpayegan and Khomein that resulted in the deaths of 'six individuals', the social deputy of the police announced the arrest of one of the 'agents' involved in this incident in Markazi province. Following reports of an 'armed robbery' on the evening of Tuesday, January 9, in Golpayegan, the public relations center of the Isfahan police command denied that any armed robbery had occurred in this county. According to the state news agency IRNA, Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, the social deputy of the police, stated on Wednesday, January 10, that 'one of the perpetrators' of the Khomein and Golpayegan incident had been arrested by the police in Markazi province. He did not provide details about the arrest or the city where it took place. Reports indicate that in the confrontation between armed robbers and police forces in the cities of Khomein and Golpayegan on Saturday, January 6, six people were killed and seven injured. According to police officials, these robbers fled from the city of Aligudarz in Lorestan province and, after a confrontation with police checkpoint forces in Khomein, escaped towards Golpayegan, where they clashed with police officers. In these confrontations, three Golpayegan police officers, two ordinary citizens, and one robber were killed. Abdolreza Aghakhani, the police chief of Isfahan province, mentioned on January 7 that there were three robbers. Hossein Farasat, the governor of Golpayegan, also stated on January 9 that the deceased robber, who had a prior history of theft, had been fully identified. The social deputy of the police further stated that contrary to media reports, 'no robbery occurred in Aligudarz and Golpayegan.' Mr. Montazer al-Mahdi expressed regret over what he described as 'premature and unnecessary reporting by some media,' adding: 'Unfortunately, some colleagues in the media have not acted in accordance with their professional responsibilities.' This statement from the police official comes as Hossein Hosseinzadeh, the deputy police chief of Isfahan province, stated that these armed individuals 'fled after robbing a bank in the city of Aligudarz in Lorestan province' and clashed with police in Khomein. The state news agency IRNA also reported that on the evening of Tuesday, two 'armed' robbers threatened the driver of a Paykan car in Golpayegan 'with a weapon' and stole his vehicle. According to this news agency, during this robbery, which took place in the 'Haji Mosque' area of Golpayegan, the robbers were pursued by police, and gunfire was heard, but no one was injured in this confrontation. Based on this report, the robbers abandoned the stolen vehicle on the route from Golpayegan to the village of Saeedabad, located northwest of the city, and fled. In response to the publication of this news, the public relations center of the Isfahan police command issued a statement on Wednesday denying any occurrence of armed robbery in Golpayegan. The statement also urged the public to disregard news from unofficial sources and to refrain from 'fueling such rumors' that disrupt 'public tranquility in the city.'